You are only allowed to fly your drone within 4km of an uncontrolled aerodrome or helipad if certain conditions are met. It's important you are aware of these conditions as flying near an aerodrome or helipad can create a hazard to other aircraft.
The advice provided below is for operations that are not shielded. Shielded operations do not need to meet conditions 1-3.
An uncontrolled aerodrome or helipad means that there is no Air Traffic Control service provided. This means that there are no Airways Air Traffic Controllers managing the airspace around the airfield. It also means there is no "controlled airspace" around the airfield.
AirShare depicts uncontrolled aerodromes and helipads on our maps as blue 4km circles. if you are planning to fly in one of these blue circles, read on to find out what you need to do.
Firstly, you will need to hold (or be supervised by someone who holds) an approved qualification. These include the following:
You need to obtain agreement from the operator of the uncontrolled aerodrome you are operating near. if you are within 4km of more than one uncontrolled aerodrome, you need permission for each aerodrome operator.
To obtain agreement, we recommend:
To operate within 4km of an uncontrolled aerodrome you are required to have an observer in attendance while your aircraft is in flight.
As well as meeting the requirements outlined above, you must not:
Being the helpful people we are, we've also put together a quick note on Controlled aerodromes :)
These are aerodromes which have Airways Air Traffic Controllers managing the airspace around them. This is because these aerodromes are really busy with air traffic!
Controlled aerodromes are surrounded with "controlled airspace" which extends much further than a 4km radius and goes right down to the ground. If operating within 4km of a controlled aerodrome the requirements outlined above (apart from #2) still apply.
To fly within controlled airspace you must: